The modern era of Maryland gambling began in 1973, when the state launched the lottery -- which over the decades has sent billions of dollars to the budget. Most of that money comes from tickets sold in the state’s lower income neighborhoods. “Poor people need those tickets,” one Baltimorean said.
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The state’s stake in gambling has grown rapidly from selling lottery tickets to licensing casinos. To win public support, the O’Malley administration and legislative leaders promised to earmark casino proceeds for education, gambling addiction programs and community improvement grants. But six years later, casino companies are emerging as the biggest winners. Read More
The state's reliance on gambling to pay its bills affects communities like Perryville, the small town where Maryland’s first casino opened in 2010, and Park Heights, one of Baltimore's poorest neighborhoods. Read More
The state's reliance on gambling has created a network of people impacted by the system. Like the convenience store owner who counts on lottery sales to pay his employees, the player who needs a win to cover the monthly bills and the gambling addict. Read More
This project was produced by student journalists at the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism. It represents a collaboration between students working for the college's non-profit news organization, Capital News Service, and students in three advanced reporting capstone classes: Baltimore Urban Affairs Reporting, Investigative Reporting and Advanced Video Storytelling. This work was supported in part by the Abell Foundation and The Baltimore Sun. Copyright Capital News Service 2014.